Tala Tank renovation to get over by mid of 2023

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will finish the work for renovation of a more than century old Tala Tank in North Kolkata by the middle of 2023. Tala Tank, the largest overhead reservoir in the world, has the capacity to hold 9 million gallons of water.

"We have already completed repair of three out of the four compartments of the Tala Tank. The 4th one will be rejuvenated by March next year. Following this, the tank will get a fresh coat of paint and some associated finishing work that will take another three months. If things go as per plan, we are hopeful that by June next year, the total renovation work will be completed,"a senior official of KMC's Water Supply department said.

Once the renovation is over, we are hopeful that in another 100 years no major work needs to be taken up associated with this tank.

The major work that has been taken up includes structural member replacement, strengthening of the compartments with the wooden lid at the top of the tank and the base being replaced by MS Plates to ensure longevity.

The tank had been set up by the British in the year 1909, and has been supplying water to the city since then. In 2009, some minor repair work was undertaken, but it was the first time when a complete overhaul of the tank had been undertaken.

The Tala Tank is located on seven bigha land and has a height of 110 feet. The estimated cost of the renovation has been to the tune of Rs 80 crore. In 2015, when the engineers had conducted a thorough check of the Tala Tank, they stumbled upon 20 small holes and then a decision for thorough repair of the same was taken.

"The renovation had started in 2018 and the major challenge upon us was to ensure that water supply did not get disrupted during the work. The four compartments are being repaired one by one so that the water supply remains unaffected during the entire period,"the official said.